OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has released comments after the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) announced its settlement with CenturyLink.
“I’m deeply disappointed the UTC has accepted this inadequate settlement,” Ferguson said. “CenturyLink’s error denied 911 service to millions of Washingtonians. I strongly disagree with the UTC that this resolution is in the public interest. If this failure does not warrant a maximum penalty, I find it hard to imagine what circumstances would.
"Bottom line – CenturyLink is getting off with a slap on the wrist.”
CenturyLink was fined $2.8 million for an April 2014 statewide 911 outage. The fines came after CenturyLink allegedly failed to automatically reroute 911 calls and failed to maintain a 911 system as required by law.
CenturyLink provides 911 services for Washington’s 7 million residents and is also the largest telephone company in the state.